"The city sleeps at night, but these woods are nocturnal," I told her as I pointed at the deer blocking the road ahead.
We had 30 miles to drive on the winding road and the more we looked the more wildlife we saw. A family of deer at one turn, cautiously crossing the road, a raccoon eyeing us as we coast by. Two bobcats jump from the high grass onto a retaining wall, look in our direction and then spring into the woods. As quick as lightning a buck, with antlers as big as my torso, bounds out of the woods from our right, leaps across the entire road and disappears into the western side of the park.
I see a frightened look in Cecilia's eye but am quick to calm her nerves. "The animals," I tell her, "are more afraid of us than we are of them."
"What about the bobcats? I have never seen them before" Her voice was soft, timid, and shaking.
"Listen doll, they were no bigger than a house-cat, and did you see the way the ran away when they saw us?" I reassured her, although I saw the look the bobcats gave us, it was a look at had seen twice before, hunger. "Ah-hem," I cleared my throat, "I'm here anyway so you have nothing to worry about." She leaned over and gently squeezed my right arm, smiling while resting her head on my shoulder. I took a deep breath and told myself things would be ok.
We made it to Pinnacle overlook without further incident, hope filling my outlook and love filling my chest. With no unpleasant thoughts in my head we sat and watched the sky as it turned into a pink and orange oil painting. There was a deep fog covering the mountain towns that sit in the valleys of the rolling mountains. With the fog as dense as an ocean, the dark round mountain tops looked like a family of whales swimming across the pacific.
"Don't look directly at it doll, I don't want to lose those beautiful eyes of yours."
After snapping a few photos we drove another 3 miles to the start of our hike. The hike was a 2 mile, 1200 feet elevation climb to Marys Rock, a bald summit with slanted rocks and a 360 degree view. While making the climb the air felt heavy, the shadows were playing tricks on us at every switchback.
"Stay close toots, I don't want to get to far ahead" I couldn't let her know things might go bad.
Without warning a howl echoed through the woods bouncing off every rock on this boulder ridden trail. It was a howl I immediately recognized as bobcat and could have come from any direction. The trekking poles were tightly gripped in my hands in the event I had to beat away an unwanted animal.
"I'm scared" Cecilia whimpered
"I won't let anything happen to you" I would take out as many of these beasts as I needed to to protect my lady.
At the top of the mountain we heard another howl. Looking down the side of a cliff I saw a woman's body, it was mangled and blue, it had to have been there at least a week. Next to it, gnawing at her legs and torso, 3 bobcats feasted. As I slowly backed away from the edge a small gravel rock slipped down the side. The world became silent and the rock, no bigger that a five-cent piece, clattered and echoed all the way down until it crashed into a small pile of dried leaves. One bobcat looked up, with blood stained teeth and fire in his eyes he sprinted out of sight into the woods.
"Ben?!" Cecilias voice was unrecognizable, it was filled with utter terror. I turned and saw Cecilia surrounded by 30 bobcats with razor sharp claws and teeth that could bite through bone.
"You've got to be kitten me"
"Ben, They are getting closer!" I looked up and sure enough the circle was growing smaller.
Cecilia was losing hope, "I'm losing hope" she said.
"Don't worry baby, with me here nothing is impawsable."
I did a wicked roundhouse kick to the closest cat and swept the legs out of another turning that into an uppercut.
"Stand back, baby" Cecilia backed up and I began swinging my poles in front of my like a titanium weedwacker. No cats had a chance. I let out a roar as I approached the cats, which had begun backing up to the cliffs edge. Cats began flying in every direction as I hit them with my poles. I threw my poles down to embark on some hand on claw combat. The 5 remaining cats stood there, thinking over their next move.
"Come get some" I said to them.
They leaped, I ducked, I grabbed the back leg of one and hurled it off the cliff. I tackled one and it swatted at me, giving me a nasty cut but I'd live.
"Is that the best you've got?" I wrapped my arms around his neck and snapped it like confetti. One ran off and the other two I was able to knock off the cliff.
I was looking down the edge of the cliff at the pile of dead bobcats and turned around just in time to see the bobcat who had ran off pounce at me, I was unbalanced and could not do anything to defend myself. The next thing I see is one of my trekking poles being swung, knocking the cat 30 yards away and over the mountain. Cecilia was at the other end of that pole.
We wiped the sweat and blood from our faces, looked at each other and kissed with a passionate embrace. As we walked back down the mountain we heard applause. We looked and raccoons, mice, bears, deer, and an array of birds were swarming around clapping their paws, stomping their hooves in approval. They carried us above their heads in a celebratory mannor. As we got closer to the car a single bobcat walked solemnly over, wearing chains and carrying a golden chalice.
"When I learned of the infection I went to my forest friends," the bobcat began. "I asked them to keep me away from the others, I may be the only hope for my races survival. The disease spread so fast that no one was safe. My friends, my family... my family." The cat looked away but continued. "They are all gone now, I am the last bobcat in the area. This chalice belongs to the bobcats of this area, it is our symbol of pride, and now that there are no more, I must leave to find, and warn, the bobcats of other areas. I want you to have this" The bobcat handed me the chalice and bowed low.
Cecilia and I looked at each other, smiled, and drove home.
